Tom Foley

A government watchdog group in Connecticut says nearly $17 million was spent by outside groups on the state’s tight gubernatorial race.

Common Cause Connecticut has determined that $16.75 million was spent on the race for governor.

“We don’t have all the details about that yet. But it will be important to look at how it is that they were trying to influence our elections,” said the executive director of the group, Cherie Quickmire. Much of the money came from out-of-state entities, she said.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Foley, who did not formally concede a very close election to Democratic incumbent Dannel Malloy on Tuesday night, issued the following email to supporters Wednesday afternoon, conceding the race.

"Thank you for your support with my campaign for governor. We came very close. Our appeal for change in Connecticut – pro-growth policies including lower taxes, more responsible spending, and more support for job creators – was endorsed by more than 48% of Connecticut voters. Governor Malloy won this election with fewer votes than we won in 2010.

A Quinnipiac University Poll released on Monday shows Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy leading his Republican challenger Tom Foley 47 to 44. That’s within the margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points. This is similar to where the polls were on election eve four years ago in the first match up between Malloy and Foley.

Malloy won that race by 6,404 votes after a recount in Bridgeport. Just like four years ago, President Obama stumped for Malloy in Bridgeport two days before the election, highlighting the importance of getting out the urban vote for the Democrat.